FATE Apocalypse

Salvage

Scavenging in the Wastelands

A fundamental part of survival for denizens of the wastes, scavenging is taken up by many industrious types who dare to venture into the wastes to find supplies and sustenance.

Types of Salvage

General:
Generic parts and materials that can be used to create basic things, such as scraps of cloth, lumber, twine, nails, etc. Can be converted to other categories at a fixed rate. Plentiful in the wastes.Military:
Components related to weapons and explosives such as munitions, firearms, and bombs. Valuable but plentiful.Electronic:
Components related to electronics and devices such as wiring, circuit boards, etc. Niche and uncommon.Industrial:
Sturdy components related to machinery and vehicles such as engines, plating, radiators, etc. Valuable and uncommon.Medical:
Supplies specifically used for healing and first aid such as trauma kits, bandages, and pharmaceuticals. Very valuable and rare.Future Tech:
Advanced components that are very rare to come by, such as microprocessors and fusion cells. Valuable but very few can make use of these parts. Extremely valuable but also extremely niche and extremely rare.Luxury:
No inherent usefulness but can be traded with merchants and the like. Items such as soap, perfume, alcohol, cooking spice, and cigarettes. Valuable and uncommon.

Additionally there are two types of sustenance salvage:

Sustenance:
Foodstuffs, whether canned and preserved foods, durable ration packs or even the uncommon meats and produce. Valuable but plentiful.Water:
The source of life in the wastes for which there is a constant need. Very valuable but plentiful.

Recovering Salvage

When survivors have the opportunity to rummage thoroughly through a wreckage or abandoned site, assuming it hasn’t already been cleaned out, they roll Search to determine how much they were able to find. This process entails sifting through the sheer volume of detritus and wreckage by hand and also being able to quickly and efficiently identify what is useful and what is not.

Beginning a Scavenging run

Players may all communally search (each member other than the character with highest search adds +1 or using other skills to create advantages) or split into groups if they feel that is more effective. Some members may want to remain on watch to make sure they aren’t attacked while scavenging. Players who are scavenging are distracted and take a -2 to their notice if they are attacked. Players who are on watch may use a skill to create a situational advantage “On Watch” to help them spot threats. If players split up, a “watch” character per group is needed to look out. Furthermore, if the players happen to be attacked or caught off guard they will of course be isolated according to their groups!

Process of Scavenging

Search rolls are made to determine what the scavengers uncover. The better the roll the more likely they are to uncover materials and supplies, however there is a maximum amount of supplies recovered depending on the site. The process of scavenging typically takes several hours depending on the size of the site, but this can be reduced according to the time table for extra shifts. Scavengers must decide how much of their shifts go towards time vs. thoroughness of search.

Crafting Items

Often survivors will want to create a useful item or modify an existing one with an augmentation. To do so, they must have requisite supplies of the appropriate type and make a Craft roll to determine if they can create the item.

Repairs, Maintenance, Healing, and Resupply

Often equipment, vehicles, and structures will become damaged or expended. To restore them, salvage of the appropriate type can be expended or applied with an appropriate skill. For example, you may use Craft plus Industrial salvage to repair a damaged vehicle, or use Medical salvage to restore usage of a trauma kit.

“Found” Items

Furthermore, parties can declare that they have found specific items outright during their scavenging. To do this is similar to using Craft to create the item but instead additional salvage is expended to represent the great luck in finding a particular item. Example: a group may expend extra Medical salvage to declare they have found some medigel, rather than having a character create it.

Trade

Lastly, you will often want to trade the scavenged supplies you have for things that are more useful. The ratio for trades vary greatly depending on the nature of the people/organization with whom you trade and the circumstances of the situation. Expect the trade ratios and availability to fluctuate often.

Storage of Salvage

Denizens of the waste who like to hoard their salvage will likely want to find someplace to store their wares. There is no shortage of space amongst the Wastes and outposts…keeping it tied down is another matter.